Italian Macaroni and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food and it tastes so amazing. This baked Italian mac and cheese recipe is a little different from traditional mac and cheese and I think it is so much better. If you love a good cheesy pasta recipe, this Italian mac and cheese is for you.
About this Italian Macaroni and Cheese
Normally when you think of macaroni and cheese, you think of the extra creamy Southern style American recipes. This Italian mac and cheese recipe is more like a cheesy baked ziti with egg noodles along with some other really amazing flavors.
This baked mac and cheese recipe makes a great dish to entertain with because you can make a big dish of it ahead of time and just re-heat it when you need it. Everyone I have served this to always loves it!
This Italian mac and cheese is one of my favorite dishes to make when I know I have a crowd to feed. I will often alternate between this mac and cheese and my Caprese pasta salad or pesto pasta.
It is just one of those tried and true recipes that always comes out amazing.
The noodles in this Italian Mac and Cheese
This Italian Mac and Cheese uses a wide egg noodle instead of the traditional elbow macaroni. The egg noodles give a nice bite and texture and the tops get nice and crisped when baking in the oven.
The other thing I love about this recipe is that the ingredients are very simple. Yo can leave out some of the additions like the ham and peas but I highly recommend them.
The Ingredients you will need
- Ham
- Peas (optional but highly recommended)
- Egg Noodles
- Fontina
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan
- Ricotta
- Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- A touch of butter
Many of these items are things that you will need to plan ahead to buy at the store since you may not have them on hand. I usually prefer recipes where this is not the case but with this Italian mac and cheese recipe.
I do not mind because it is so good. It really is like the best Italian cheesy baked ziti but better and creamy!
In addition to it being pure deliciousness, you do not need to make a heavy sauce with flour and butter for this one. Many traditional mac and cheeses rely on this mixture which I find to be too bland.
How to serve this Italian macaroni and cheese
Because of the simple ingredients, this dish is one I have been making for years for family events, potlucks, BBQs and any other large gatherings that I attend. It is really easy to prepare making it one of those dishes that I feel confident turning to in a pinch and knowing everyone will love it.
How to make Italian Mac and Cheese
- Pre-cook the egg noodles
- Shred the cheese
- Dice up the ham
- Mix everything together in a large bowl
- Transfer to a large baking dish
- Bake
This mac and cheese dish is baked in the oven and the only cooking ahead of time is the noodles. Similar to a baked ziti, you will have those nice crisped up pieces of pasta on the top and on the sides. These are always my favorite parts of the dish.
I call this Italian mac and cheese because it uses only Italian cheeses in the dish. The fontina that is in the dish gets nice and melted and gives off a beautiful nutty flavor. The Parmesan imparts its delicious nutty and salty taste and helps the top crisp up.
The ricotta and cream add a wonderful richness and give the other cheeses a place to melt into when baking in the oven. Every ingredient in this dish is verey important so try not to leave any of them out.
I do like to use butter on the top of this macaroni and cheese to help it brown up more and it adds a little more flavor. It is not an outrageous amount, just a little bit.
I love serving this as a main dish with a quick light salad on the side. A light spinach and mushroom salad is my favorite.
I also try to (or hope) have some for leftovers for lunch the next day because it re-heats so well.
Unlike traditional American macaroni and cheese that is thick and gooey, this sauce will be more like a light cheesy ricotta with some cheese pull dispersed in each bite.
Re-heating
This easy mac and cheese makes a great make ahead dish that you can easily re-heat by adding some aluminum foil over the top of the pan and throwing it into a hot oven. You could make it on the weekend and re-heat it on a weekday for a no cook dinner.
To re-heat, just pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Pour a little heavy cream (optional but makes it extra creamy during re-heating) over the top of your noodles. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until it is heated all the way through.
If you like this Italian mac and cheese you might want to try out some of my other Italian recipes:
- Italian Baked Zucchini
- Italian Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Italian Bread Pudding
- Italian Berry Cake with Mascarpone
- Authentic Bolognese
- Pork Bolognese
- Pasta Genovese
- Pizzelle Recipe
- Ham and Parmesan Pasta
- Pesto Pasta
Italian Macaroni and Cheese
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Equipment
- 9x11 oven safe baking dish
Ingredients
- 24 ounces of extra wide egg noodles 2 large bags
- 4 cups shredded Fontina Cheese Reserve ¼ cup for topping
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reserve ¼ cup for the topping
- 1 cup frozen peas or fresh (but not canned)
- ¾ cup Whole Milk Ricotta
- 8 ounces ham steak cubed
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 clove garlic finely minced
Corn starch slurry
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees
- Prepare your baking dish by greasing the bottom and sides with butter then set aside.
- Start preparing your ingredients by mincing your garlic, cutting your ham into cubes, and grating your Fontina and Parmesan cheese
- In a large bowl add your heavy cream, ricotta, minced garlic, salt, Fontina cheese (make sure to reserve ¼ cup for topping) and your Parmesan cheese(reserve ¼ cup for topping).4 cups shredded Fontina Cheese, 2 ½ cups heavy cream, ¾ cup Whole Milk Ricotta, 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 clove garlic finely minced, 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Mix well.
- Now add your cubed ham steak and frozen peas to the bowl of cream and cheese and stir until everything is incorporated. Set aside.1 cup frozen peas, 8 ounces ham steak
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- When it is boiling, add your egg noodles and cook until it is still firm but not cooked all the way through. This is usually 3 minutes less than the instructions for al dente on the pasta package. It will cook a bit more in the oven.24 ounces of extra wide egg noodles
- When it is cooked, drain the pasta and add it to your bowl of cream, ham and cheese and mix well.
- Make the cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch and milk together until smooth.1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- Add cornstarch slurry to bowl with noodles.
- Pour your noodle mixture into your baking dish.
- Now sprinkle the remaining Fontina and Parmesan cheese evenly over top.
- Cut your butter into small cubes and sprinkle this evenly over the top of the cheese.4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Place your dish into the pre-heated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is nice and brown on top and you can see the noodles and sauce bubbling. If the noodles brown before it is done baking just cover the top with aluminum foil and finish baking.
Notes
To Re-Heat:
Drizzle a little heavy cream over the top of your cooked noodles (optional but makes it extra creamy during re-heating). Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until it is heated all the way through. Recipe adapted from Food NetworkNutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Jen says
Oh my goodness this was so delicious! I made this for my family and they loved it. I don't really love macaroni and cheese but this was great and I would definitely make it again.